Phobias

What is a phobia? A phobia is a strong unreasonable fear of something. It comes from a Greek word meaning "to be frightened." 


Below is a list of some phobias:
Arachnophobia - the fear of spiders
Agoraphobia—the fear of being in open spaces
Claustrophobia - the fear of being in a small enclosed place
Glossophobia—the fear of speaking in public
Acrophobia—the fear of heights
Phasmophobia—the fear of ghosts
Zoophobia - the fear of animals
Chromophobia - the fear of colours
Acousticphobia - the fear of sounds and voice
Aquaphobia - the fear of water
Xenophobia - the fear of strangers
Photophobia - the fear of light
Triskaidekaphobia—the fear of the number 13


~ Serena's Greenhouse

A Word A Week - Week 3

Treacherous
(1) cannot be trusted, intending to harm you
Do not believe his treacherous words.


(2) very dangerous as one cannot see the dangers easily
Please drive slowly along the this treacherous mountain road.

Portmanteau Words

During an English lesson today, my pupils came across the word "breathalyser" when they were reading a Comprehension passage about a drunk passenger attacking a taxi driver. I introduced blend words or portmanteau words to them to make them appreciate that the English language can be interesting. 

What is a portmanteau word? A portmanteau word or a blend word is a blend of two or more separate words. 

Examples of portmanteau words:

Brunch           Breakfast + Lunch

Chortle           Chuckle   + Snort

Cyborg           Cybernetic + Organism

Motel              Motor + Hotel

Smog              Smoke + Fog

Infotainment   Information + Entertainment

Camcorder      Camera + Recorder

Emoticon        Emotion + Icon

Pixel               Picture + Element

Twirl              Twist + Whirl

Glimmer        Gleam + Shimmer

Breathalyser  Breath + Analyser
Advertorial    Advertisement + Editorial
Telethon        Television + Marathon
Sitcom           Situation + Comedy
Paratroop       Parachute + Troop
Multiplex       Multiple + Complex
Smash            Smack + Mash
Guesstimate   Guess + Estimate

Camouflage

What is camouflage? Why do animals camouflage themselves?

Camouflage refers to how animals blend into its natural environment. They camouflage themselves as their bodies have colours and/or patterns that can blend into their environment. Animals use camouflage to remain hidden from predators (which primarily hunt using vision instead of smell) or prey. When they are hidden from their prey, they can hunt more efficiently.

Examples of camouflage in nature:

(1) Having body colour that blend into the surroundings

A polar bear has a white coat of fur that blends into the white snow-covered surroundings. In winter, an Arctic fox sheds its brown summer coat and grows a new white coat. 

Polar bear

Arctic fox in the summer versus arctic fox in the winter

                                           Source of image: http://scienceramble.com

(2) Having body colour and patterns that blend into the surroundings

Leaf Insect

Orchid Mantis

 ~ Serena's Greenhouse

                                  

Children's Day

Yesterday was Children's Day. I shared with my kiddos the following quote by John Wooden. 

John Wooden was the most successful basketball coach in the United States of all time. His success philosophy is detailed in his famous "Pyramid of Success". However, the one that stands out most is the advice given to him by his father when he was a little boy - "Make each day your masterpiece."


Why did I share this quote with my kiddos? I hope that they will understand that we cannot change the past. Although we can learn from our mistakes in the past, we should focus on doing our best each day. Are we living each day as though it is an important championship game? Or are we living each day as though it is only a practice for some game in the future? Would we be proud to reflect at the end of each day that we have done our best that day? Would we be guilty and realise that we have wasted a lot of time or we could have better in many areas when we reflect at the end of each day?


Here are some tips that can help everyone of us to create our daily masterpiece:
(1) At the beginning of each day, ask ourselves: What is the most important thing that I can do today to make my life a masterpiece? What are some things that I can do today to make my life a masterpiece? Focus on that single thing or those things that you need to do.


(2) At the end of the day, set aside some time to reflect: Did I do my best today? What did I do right? What did not work? Give yourself a pat on what you did well. Think through what you could have done to improve on what went wrong for the day. 


I hope that all of us remember that we can control the outcomes of the day most of the time. Make each day your masterpiece!



~ Teacher Serena

Synthesis and Transformation questions (Modified based on 2011 English PSLE)

To give parents and pupils an idea of the types of questions tested in the PSLE,  I have modified three of the 2011 PSLE questions so as not to infringe copyright issues.

Examples:

1. The warriors were brave and disciplined. The King was impressed.

The warriors' _______________________________________________.

2. The rabbit disappeared from the stage suddenly. The audience were puzzled.

What puzzled _______________________________________________.

3. Mrs Lee asked Mike if he had taken the book from the table that morning.

Mrs Lee asked Mike, "________________________________________."

Creative Writing Skills - Personification

Good writers often use personification.
What is personification?
 It is giving human traits (qualities, feelings, action or characteristics) to inanimate or non-living objects (things, qualities etc).


Why do writers use personification?
Writers use personification to emphasise something or make it stand out. Personification makes the object more interesting and causes readers to look at the object from a new perspective.


Examples of personification
The sunflowers nodded their heads and greeted the visitors to the park.
The cool water beckoned invitingly to John.
The door groaned as Mike pushed it open.
The basketball was lying forlornly on the floor.
The flames danced wildly in the kitchen.


Serena's Greenhouse

Shake that can of fizzy drink!

Have you ever heard someone say, "Please don't shake that can of Sprite! The fizzy drink will overflow when you open it!" Have you every wondered why a bottle of coke taste flat after you have opened it? 


Materials:

• 1 can of unopened fizzy drink 

Steps:
1. Shake a sealed can of fizzy drink vigorously.
2. Use your finger to tap the SIDE of the can. Turn the can 90 degrees and tap the side of the can again.
3. Tap the side of the can a few times before opening it
4. Open the can and observe what happens. The gas will simply escape and the liquid will not "explode" out of the can.


Teacher Serena's Explanations:
The fizz in the drink is dissolved carbon dioxide gas. When the fizzy drink is bottled or canned, carbon dioxide molecules are forced into the fizzy drink in an amount that is greater than under normal conditions. 


When we shake the can of fizzy drink, it causes the bubbles of carbon dioxide to line the inside walls of the can. When the can is opened, according to Boyle's Law, the pressure in the can decreases and the volume of each bubble goes up. The expanding bubbles force the liquid out of the can, hence we see an "explosion". 


When we tap the sides of the can, we are dislodging the bubbles from the sides and bottom of the can so that they can float to the top of the can. This is possible because a gas is lighter than a liquid. Once the bubbles are at the top of the can, only a small volume of liquid will block their escape when we open the can. Thus the fizzy drink does not "explode".


~ Serena's Greenhouse

Good Read - Anne of Green Gables

This book is a classic written by L.M. Montgomery. I loved reading the series when I was about ten years old.

Anne, a red-headed orphan, was taken to Green Gables to live with Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert.  At first, Marilla did not welcome her as she asked for a boy. Anne had an unbeatable optimism and an unstoppable tongue. Before long, the Cuthberts could not imagine life without Anne. 

Each new day brought a new set of adventures, often hilarious and always uplifting. Anne had a vivid and overactive imagination which caused many mishaps. Fortunately, her saving grace was her heart of gold. 

This is a must-read for girls between 8 and 10 years old.

~ Serena's Greenhouse

A Word A Week - Week 2

Frugal : 

(a) Careful to buy or use only what is necessary

Sentence: Mr Lee leads a frugal life. He only buys what is necessary.

(b) (of meals) small, plain and costing very much

Sentence: I had a frugal lunch of bread and butter this afternoon as I 

did not have much money in my wallet.